Goodbye isn't forever
by UKHoneyB
Summary: A short, onepart fic of when Rachel leaves


            Disclaimers: I don't own Max Steel, no matter how hard I wish

            A/N: This is really two stories instead of one.

I know that most of you will hate me for saying this, but I am leaving the world of Max Steel fan fics, at least for the foreseeable future anyway.

With Max Steel, it was my first ever fan fic that I got feedback on, even though it wasn't the first one I ever wrote (that credit goes to Sonic the Hedgehog), and I was completely taken aback by the response I received for it. 'New Team' was the first story I had made and published on the internet about Josh's little sister, Hanna, and I'm glad it was so well received on fanfiction.net.

I made some good friends here, like sockenfresser42 and SarQueen4, the latter of which can proudly hold the title of being my first ever reviewer, and met a lot of people who shared the same interest and liking for Max steel as I did, and still do.

Although I will not be writing any more fan fics for the moment, I will still keep a look out for a few of my favourite authors and, who knows, maybe I'll come back one day, to a whole new group of readers, writers and reviewers.

I hope I will be able to come back, after all, this is what got me started in writing, not only fan fics, but also original fics. Through the people who reviewed my work, I gained confidence and was able to improve my writing skills further that I thought I ever would be able to.

Even though a lot of my projects have fallen by the way side, I was still amazed by the response I got each time I posted a new chapter or story, especially from the aforementioned people. I still remember getting that review from Emily Crane, when I posted my April Fool's Day fic, and laughing the rest of the day.

I wish all of the other authors the best of luck in writing their own fan fics, and I aim to come back someday, because, after all, goodbye isn't necessarily forever, is it?

I know most authors don't do this type of thing, but I thought you lot deserved it. Here is my final fic for the moment, titled 'Goodbye isn't forever', and I hope, someday, to return to this world, just like Rachel.

**Goodbye isn't forever**

By HoneyB

            "Congratulations on the promotion, Rach, you really deserve it." Max commented, waiting outside the door to Rachel's quarters. She'd asked him if it was possible to take her to the airport, having to travel back to England to visit her family, and from there taking up semi-permanent residence in Russia.

            "Steel, don't lie, it doesn't suit you." Came Rachel's muffled, but determined reply. "I know you're not looking forward to me being your supervisor, but would you rather have someone you didn't know overseeing your missions?" She asked rhetorically, opening the door.

            "It's not just that, it's…"

            "The fact that, apart from Martinez, you don't have a partner that you know? I would have thought that was what you would have preferred, being able to do things the 'Max Steel' way from now on, and especially with Kat, she acts so much like you." She finished, starting to walk down the corridor.

            "No, it's the fact that I'll miss seeing you on the missions." He whispered, before walking after her.

            The drive to Del Oro airport was uneventful; no frantic calls from Berto telling them to return to base, no phone calls from Laura, although Josh wouldn't have expected any. Neither of them said much that extended beyond polite conversation during the journey, each preferring to stay in his or her own world.

            "How's Laura coping?" Rachel asked, once they were nearing the airport, and immediately regretted it when she saw the look of pain on Josh's face.

            "She's…signed on for a year on a research trip at sea." He finally replied, focusing his attention on the road and gripping the steering wheel a little harder than normal. They fell into an unspoken pact until the reached the airport, not daring to talk to each other for fear of opening up old wounds, old regrets.

            Arriving at the airport, Rachel grabbed her bags and they both headed through the terminal, past parents trying to calm down their screaming kids, old couples who were hobbling along slowly, not noticing the long lines forming behind them, teenagers doing their best to look bored while their parents checked in for their holiday.

            Both Josh and Rachel, although walking side by side, said not a word to each other until Rachel had finished booking herself onto the flight.

            "I just hope that Ryan and Martinez can handle looking after you," she commented surprisingly, startling Josh.

            "Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm one of a kind." He replied, smiling, once again the pair of them lapsing into silence.

            "Flight GA1873 from Del Oro to Gatwick airport is now boarding." A male, computerized voice said over the tannoy system, and Rachel, after making sure that she hadn't forgotten anything, made her way over to the boarding gates.

            "Steel, after what's happened between you and Laura, you should know that goodbye isn't forever." Rachel said unexpectedly, leaning over to kiss Josh. "I promise, I will come back someday." She finished, walking through the boarding gates and out of Josh's life, at least for the time being.

            "Well, that went well," Berto commented over the bio-link.

            "Quiet, chess-boy," Josh replied, turning away and walking out of the airport.


End file.
